Description
First trade edition of The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, in first state dust jacket.
Octavo, 61pp, [1]. Blue illustrated boards, title in white on spine and front board. No additional printings listed on copyright page. Solid text block, previous ownership inscription and book label remnant on front endpapers. In publisher’s first state dust jacket, 200/200 on front flap, no mention of Beginner Books series in educator reviews on back cover. Short closed tear to rear panel, tape remnants to both flaps, faint soiling to covers, a very good example.
(Younger & Hirsch, 7)
The Cat in the Hat was published in both an education edition for schools and a trade edition for sale in bookstores. Dr. Seuss said The Cat in the Hat “is the book I’m proudest of because it had something to do with the death of the Dick and Jane primers.” Those primers, used frequently in schools, featured idealized children in very bland forms and emphasized word recognition, whereas Seuss focused on phonics. The Cat in the Hat is said to be the children’s book that made Dr. Seuss famous and led to the creation of Beginner Books; a publisher dedicated to producing books similar to Seuss’ imaginative readers to help promote literacy.
